What Pilates can (and can’t) do for your body
It’s hailed as the secret to strength, flexibility, and balance. We asked the experts if it actually lives up to the hype.
Pilates—long celebrated for its ability to sculpt and strengthen—has surged in popularity, often framed as the secret to a “long and lean” physique. But beyond the viral hype, what does science actually say about its benefits?
“I’ve been teaching Pilates for 10 years, and it goes through cycles,” says Kaysha Thomas, a Pilates instructor and registered nutritionist. “This time around, it’s really prominent on TikTok, where people are focusing on a ‘Pilates body’. It’s usually a young woman in her 20s with a naturally slim body—that’s the opening hook.”
Developed in the early 20th century by German physical trainer Joseph Pilates, the method was designed to rehabilitate injured soldiers and improve functional movement. Over time, Pilates’ focus shifted from rehabilitation to a widely practiced fitness regimen, but its foundational principles remain rooted in controlled, precise movements aimed at overall body health—not aesthetics.
“[Pilates] talks a lot about how you’re as young as your spine feels. He doesn’t say you’re as young as you are slim,” says Thomas. “A lot of bodies are being erased in that space in terms of race, age, and ability, but Pilates is such an inclusive exercise.”
So, if Pilates is about much more than aesthetics, what are its benefits—and where does it fall short?
What does Pilates do for your body?
One reason Pilates is so effective is that it challenges the body in a way that is difficult to replicate in day-to-day life. “You start noticing how you’re holding your body in space, your form gets better, you become aware of the imbalances that you can correct,” says Thomas.
For example, most daily movements involve spinal flexion—bending forward to pick something up or tie your shoes. But we rarely move our spine side to side or engage in controlled spinal extension, like looking up at the sky. People attending a Pilates class for the first time may be surprised at how difficult these seemingly simple movements feel, says Thomas.
(Here’s why mobility should be a key part of your fitness routine.)
Pilates movements are “designed to engage entire muscle groups through their complete range of motion,” says Femi Betiku, a doctor of physical therapy and a certified Pilates instructor. “These movements often require muscles to work in their fully lengthened and flexed states, promoting improved mobility and dynamic strength.”
While research on Pilates’s benefits is still evolving, existing studies suggest some promising effects. A 2011 review found strong evidence that it improves flexibility and balance for many practitioners, while another study found that five weeks of Pilates was enough to increase muscle strength in young soccer players.
Beyond improving muscular endurance and strength, Pilates is also great for joint health, particularly in populations prone to stiffness or mobility issues, says Paul Longworth, an athletic trainer at PR Health and Fitness. Its emphasis on high repetitions with low resistance helps strengthen ligaments and tendons—key structures that support joint stability—more effectively than traditional weightlifting. Longworth adds that Pilates is also very low impact which minimizes joint stress while still challenging the body.
(The overlooked key to fitness? Strengthening your joints and tendons.)
Many people turn to Pilates because of its impact on posture and core strength. A 2015 study found that Pilates was effective in increasing upper body, lower body, and abdominal muscle strength in 25 postmenopausal women who had not exercised for at least six months. Another 2022 study found that a 12-week program improved core strength, lower limb strength, agility, flexibility, and balance for middle-aged women.
Does Pilates shape your body?
Despite its many benefits, Pilates shouldn’t be the only type of exercise you do. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week, something Pilates alone won’t fulfill. While the exercise may be more cardiovascularly demanding than traditional weightlifting (which includes long rest periods between sets), it does not provide the same aerobic benefits as running, swimming, cycling, or high-intensity interval training.
Pilates also falls short as a primary form of resistance training. “If you are sedentary and started such a regimen you would expect to see some initial muscle development, but this would plateau after a short period of time,” says Brad Schoenfeld, a professor in exercise science and graduate program director at CUNY Lehman College.
That’s because most Pilates workouts lack progressive overload, the principle of gradually increasing resistance to build muscle over time. While reformer Pilates (which incorporates weighted resistance through the coils) can offer more of a strength-training effect, mat-based Pilates alone is often insufficient to build significant muscle mass.
“Retaining muscle and preserving your muscle mass as you age for women and men is so important,” says Thomas. “And yet, Pilates probably isn’t the exercise that’s going to help you get that proper muscle building.”
That brings up one of the biggest misconceptions about Pilates—that it builds “long and lean” muscles, while strength training makes you “bulky.” In reality, “muscle tissue is inherently lean,” says Schoenfeld. There’s no such thing as a “long and lean” muscle versus a “bulky” one. “The reason why people are ‘leaner’ is because they have less muscle mass on them and they also have less fat,” adds Longworth.
Pilates also can’t lengthen your muscles or create an elongated look. “This is a myth,” Schoenfeld says. “Muscles have genetically predetermined insertions into the tendons; there is no way to alter this through exercise.”
Another misconception is that Pilates alone will dramatically change body composition. While Pilates can increase muscle activation and improve definition, it doesn’t inherently “tone” muscles in the way people often believe. Muscle tone results from a lower body fat percentage, achieved through a combination of strength training, cardiovascular exercise, and nutrition, says Betiku.
(Workouts don’t have to be so hard. Here’s how low-intensity training transforms your body.)
Ultimately, Pilates is an effective workout, but it works best as part of a well-rounded fitness routine. “If you take someone that has a few years of weight training—like if I only did Pilates—I would lose muscle mass,” says Longworth. “The stimulus there is not high enough for someone that has a decent training age.”
Still, “the best workout is the one you enjoy,” says Longworth. “If you love Pilates, you’ll stick with it—and consistency is the key to fitness, no matter what type of exercise you choose.”
